A number of users have started reporting that Apple is currently weeding out any such iCloud emails that contain the term ‘barely legal teen.’ The scope of this mass-cleansing operation extends to both the emails sent and received by iCloud users.
Apple has always taken a rather strong stance towards pornography and related issues. The company has a past of actively censoring any such content from being hosted on any of its platforms. However, it is unclear if the current spate of deleting emails containing the phrase ‘barely legal teen’ is a policy decision made by Apple or simply the result of a bug.
The situation is rather ‘clouded’ especially because if the phrase is simply tweaked to ‘barely legal teens’, that doesn’t prompt the censorship alarm and any iCloud email containing this slightly changed version is not deleted. Not only that, many other equally vulgar phrases continue to be treated as normal by the iCloud servers.
Even if Apple did decide to censor such terms, that would be perfectly within Apple’s legal rights, as detailed by Apple’s Terms of Service in the following words:
“Apple reserves the right at all times to determine whether Content is appropriate and in compliance with this Agreement, and may pre-screen, move, refuse, modify and/or remove Content at any time, without prior notice and in its sole discretion, if such Content is found to be in violation of this Agreement or is otherwise objectionable.”
Similar censorship reports have been cited in the past where Apple decided to delete such iCloud email attachments which contained specific trigger phrases. Again, until Apple decides to divulge its stand on this issue, it would remain unclear as to whether or not the company is intentionally making such a move.
Courtesy: The Verge
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